When I left my job mid-2019 I let my cleaning lady go. I figured since I’d be home and I like to clean in general, I could keep on top of it. After all, it had been only four years since I went back to work; I was my own housekeeper before that.

We live in a four bedroom, four bath house and let me tell you, it’s a lot of work! I’ve learned some tricks to keep things tidy for the most part. It does tend to clutter up a bit and I admit to the occasional Momma outburst of “why doesn’t anyone else clean up their crap!”

Here are five ideas (from an amateur) to help keep your house mostly looking clean:

1. Keep a set of bathroom cleaners in each bathroom

I keep a container of wipes, toilet cleaner and a toilet brush in each bathroom. I also keep one window/mirror cleanser on each floor. We have three bathrooms on the second floor and one on the first floor. I would always forget to bring the mirror spray upstairs and now it’s much easier just to have what I need on each floor.

2. Have a paper bin for each kid

My three kids come home with a lot of paperwork from school. It has lessened as each year goes by; elementary school years have the most for sure! I have a paper holder in the kitchen for each child. Once they each were in the routine to put papers in their bin we were smooth sailing.

3. Set a routine

This one sounds dumb but let me explain. My past cleaning lady came one day every other week so I thought I could easily follow the same schedule. Nope. I found myself angry and resentful to my family when I spent a whole day cleaning.

Now I do bathrooms one morning for an hour, laundry every day, dusting here and there when I see it needs to be done, and, the big one, I make my kids help. Leading to our next one…

4. Make the kids help!

They got away with not helping when we had a cleaning lady. Well, to my credit, they always helped with their own laundry (mostly), but now they are responsible for changing their own bed sheets, vacuuming their own rooms, helping me dust, water plants, wipe down the kitchen table, etc.

We have to teach them to take care of themselves and it includes keeping their space tidy and to their liking.

5. Take short cuts

Yup, no one cares how clean and sparkling your house is. We all know no one’s house is that clean. It’s OK. Last Christmas I asked for a Roomba and I love that thing! Saves me time vacuuming the first floor, which gets the brunt of floor crap. My favorite shortcut.

Sometimes the baseboards get a bit too dusty, the basement doesn’t get vacuumed for a month or the kitchen counter mail piles up a bit too long. It’s all OK. I will always have clean toilets and I run the dishwasher every night. I’m calling that a Mom Win.

Do you have any cleaning shortcuts to share?